Staples



Sept. 21, 1965 J. scHlcK 3,206,815

STAPLES Filed June 19 1962 FIG. 7

33 33 JULES SCH/CK INVENTOR.

BY s x ur Attorney United States Patent Claims The invention relates to staples.

It is an object of the invention to provide staples which are sturdy, reliable and easy to manufacture.

It is another object of the invention to provide staples which, on being driven through a deformable material to be stapled, compresses the material between limbs of the staples.

It is a further object of the invention to provide staples which, when used to connect together marginal portions of a material, force the edges of the material tightly together.

It is still another object of the invention to provide staples suitable for repairing gaps in material by forcing together adjacent edges of the gaps.

It is still a further, more specific, object of the inven tion to provide staples suitable for repairing gaps in conveyor belts.

It is yet another, still more specific, object of the invention to provide staples suitable for repairing gaps in coal-mining conveyor belts.

It is yet a further object of the invention to provide staples which when driven into a material are firmly anchored therein.

These and other objects and advantage of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of two embodiments of the invention which are given by Way of example and which are diagrammatically illustrated in the annexed drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a first embodiment of a staple of the invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates the manner in which staples of the type shown in FIG. 1 may be used for repairing a gap torn in a conveyor belt;

FIG. 3 illustrates, in section, marginal portions of the gap shown in FIG. 2, on a larger scale, and a staple in position just prior to being driven through the marginal portions;

FIG. 4 is somewhat similar to FIG. 3, but illustrates the staple partly driven through the marginal portions; and

FIG. 5 is somewhat similar to FIG. 4, but illustrates the staple completely driven through the marginal portions.

The staple generally indicated in FIG. 1 by reference numeral is made of wire and is generally U-shaped and comprises a base 21 and two limbs 22 and 23. The free ends 24 and of the limbs 22 and 23 are pointed. The limbs 22 and 23 are bent or curved so that they are of wavy shape. When viewed as illustrated in FIG. 1, the limb 23 is a mirror image of the limb 22. The free ends 24 and 25 of the limbs 22 and 23 face each other, and the convex median portions 26 and 27 of the limbs 22 and 23 also face each other.

I have generally indicated in FIG. 2, by reference numeral 31, a portion of a conveyer belt of the kind used for coal-mining purposes having a gap 32 torn into the belt material. By applying a plurality of staples 20 to the marginal portions 33 of the gap 32, the adjacent edges of the marginal portions 33 are tightly forced together so as to close the gap to prevent coal dust from penetrating therethrough.

FIG. 3 illustrates the gap 32 between the marginal portions 33 with a staple 20 positioned ready for being forced, for example by means of a hammer, through the portions 33.

FIG. 4 shows the staple 2t) partly driven through the portions 33. It will be recognized that the gap 32 has been narrowed owing to the action of the wavy limbs 22 and 23.

In FIG. 5, the staple 20 has been shown as completely driven through the marginal portions 33. The ends of the limbs 22 and 23 of the staple 20 have been turned over, and the confronting bends 26, 27 (FIG. 1) lie substantially midway within the thickness of the belt whereby the adjacent edges of the marginal portions 33 have been tightly forced together so as to prevent coal dust from passing through the gap when the conveyer belt is used for coal mining purposes.

As can best be seen from FIG. 5, the limbs of the staples are inwardly deformed along a distance which substantially corresponds to the thickness of the belt to which the staples are intended to be applied.

It should be clearly understood that the embodiments illustrated and described are given by Way of example only. Many further modifications, omissions and additions are possible without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as claimed.

I claim:

In combination, a belt of deformable material and a Wire staple driven through said belt and clenched thereagainst, said staple comprising a generally planar wire body of substantially U-shaped configuration, said body including a substantially straight base resting against one surface of said belt and a pair of limbs integral therewith and projecting at opposite ends of said base transversely thereto through said belt, said limbs having pointed free extremities bent toward each other and lying against the opposite surface of said belt, said limbs having inwardly curved intermediate portions between said extremitie and said base, said inwardly curved portions forming confronting convex bends substantially midway within the thickness of said belt whereby portions of the latter respectively penetrated by said limbs are urged toward each other.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,031,179 7/12 Graham 2436 1,125,477 1/15 Conn 2436 2,310,819 2/43 Van Ordon 198-193 FOREIGN PATENTS Add. 72,456 11/59 France.

1,121,396 4/56 France.

499,711 1/39 Great Britain. 713,3 84 8/54 Great Britain.

SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Primary Examiner. WILLIAM B. LA BORDE, Examiner. 

